Pistacia lentiscus L. (Anacardiaceae)

Abstract

A small tree, native to Mediterranean region countries. Mastic gum (oleogum resin) is mentioned in the works of Herodotus, Dioscorides and Galen, and several Roman, Byzantine, Arab and European authors have extensively referred to mastic’s healing properties. It has been used for more than 2500 years in traditional Greek and other medicines around the world for treating diseases such as gastralgia and peptic ulcers. P lentiscus var. chia grows exclusively on the island of Chios, Greece, and has reportedly been used for a variety of gastric ailments in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries for at least 3000 years. Some estimate its use in various parts of the world for as long as 5000 years. The resin is still used extensively in Greece as an aphrodisiac, and as a constituent of herbal drugs or functional foods. Ancient Egyptians used it as incense and for embalming. It has also been used as a preservative and breath sweetener. Avicenna mentioned it in Canon of Medicine for the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding, and as a hepatoprotective, usually as part of compound drugs. It was considered detergent, astringent and restorative by Arab physicians. In Jordanian folk medicine, aqueous extract is used for the treatment of jaundice. In North African traditional medicine, mastic oil is used externally to treat sore throats, burns and wounds, and internally for respiratory disorders, and in Tunisian folk medicine, the fixed (edible) oil is also used as an antiseptic, and for cancer treatment. Mastic is one of the most commonly cited drugs (25 times) in The Chilandar Medical Codex, the best preserved medieval Serbian manuscript on European medical science from the 12th to 15th centuries. It is also one of the four plants of the Jerusalem Balsam formula that possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antiseptic properties. Chios mastic gum and its EO consist of nearly 70 constituents. Thirty-six triterpenes, and arabinogalactan proteins were identified in Pistacia lentiscus var. chia resin. In a double-blind RCT, mastic powder in a dose of 350 mg thrice daily for three-weeks significantly improved symptoms in Greek patients suffering from functional dyspepsia.